In this era, there were no things like intellectual property or patents—it was all about the power and influence of wealth. Therefore, even as Prince Fu, he was unwilling to offer Ye Xinyan any corresponding compensation.
When it ca to lawsuits, in the courtroom, as long as Wong Qiao could stand up and claim that these creations were the result of a collective effort, then Ye Xinyan’s complaint would beco useless. It would only serve to let her taste defeat.
At the sa ti, if Wong Qiao did so, he would be placing himself on the opposite side of the Qi family and Ye Xinyan. Without the Qi family and Ye Xinyan, he would also sever ties with Jinrong, and might even be detested by Jinrong.
The chanical Workshop in Clear Water Village in Yuyuan Prefecture had a share belonging to Prince Yu. Although the tools manufactured there had not appeared in the Capital, they were already being sold in Yuyuan Prefecture and the surrounding areas, making a fair amount of silver. However, the scale of that chanical workshop couldn’t compare to the abundant strength of Prince Fu, and naturally, the output of tools was much less.
After this lawsuit, Prince Fu could rightfully manufacture the tools that Ye Xinyan had devised. With the involvent of Prince Fu, who would benefit most from the efficient tools was an obvious matter.
It’s laughable that Ye Xinyan and Jinrong were not cautious about concealing their skills, contributing their hard work for others without realizing it. Now they think of filing a lawsuit, but isn’t it too late?
The financial loss that Ye Xinyan would suffer from this lawsuit would equate to the amount of enmity she would hold towards Wong Qiao, which Prince Fu was happy to see.
Of course, Prince Fu’s plans would best be resolved in the capital’s yan, it wouldn’t be good to cause a disturbance that reached the Emperor. Otherwise, regardless of the outco, him being a prince and getting into a dispute over earning money with a woman to the point of taking it to court would be disgraceful to His Majesty the Emperor.
Moreover, no matter how he argued his case, regardless of how much power he held, he was the party in the wrong, rely exploiting loopholes with cunning.
Prince Fu’s reasoning was sound; although rchants were wealthy and lived comfortably, they were of low status and did not garner respect from the court.
Ordinary rchants disputing profits, even if it resulted in loss of life, didn’t necessarily an the upper ranks and the governnt office would treat it as a significant matter.
Although the incident now involved Miss Ye of Duke’s Mansion, it was still only Ye Xinyan, a woman, who stepped forward. If Prince Fu did not get involved, it would rely be seen as a normal business dispute over interests, and it was unlikely to be taken before the Emperor.
Although that was the case, Liu Yu still didn’t feel entirely at ease, yet he couldn’t think of any reason why the Emperor would take interest in the matter.
Prince Fu smiled and glanced at the complaint, "Even though it was Ye Xinyan who personally submitted the complaint, it only accuses those two shops, and those two shops have their respective owners; they have no direct connection with us. I don’t think there will be anyone so blind as to explicitly say that it’s my business."
Liu Yu felt sowhat reassured by those words. Indeed, over the years, the Crown Prince had done nothing but indulge in luxury without any political achievents, and it’s well known that a significant portion of the Ministry of Revenue’s inco was spent on the Crown Prince’s extravagance.
However, Prince Fu was different. In recent years, he had been in charge of the Ministry of Works, making significant contributions to river managent and road construction. A couple of years ago, when heavy rains continued for two years in the South, several major rivers surged, but no flooding occurred.
Prince Fu’s actions over the years had garnered many followers and supporters, making him the Crown Prince’s biggest competitor, and the Emperor was growing increasingly indifferent to the Crown Prince.
While the succession to the throne remained unsettled, of course no one would rush to offend Prince Fu. Ye Xinyan’s complaint would only be treated as Miss Ye’s accusation against two rchant shops, a case of comrcial profit dispute.
Prince Fu continued, "It would be best if Ye Xinyan could drag Wong Qiao into this. Even if Wong Qiao has truly left the Qi family, he still intends to maintain goodwill with them; otherwise, he wouldn’t face many disapproving eyes from the Qi family and insist on attending Guan He’s wedding. If we can get Ye Xinyan and Wong Qiao to confront each other in court, completely turning their backs on the Qi family, then we haven’t responded to this lawsuit in vain."
Liu Yu nodded his head. Wong Qiao was a talented man, and since he wanted to make use of him, he should do so with confidence. Otherwise, to let him be in charge of many critical affairs, yet to be on guard against him every single day, would be too botherso.
...
You Chenghui presented the petition of Ye Xinyan to Prince Fu. Although he was prepared for it to be fruitless, he genuinely hoped to see so response from Prince Fu, even just a slight hint would suffice.
Of course, if things could go as the steward hoped, and His Highness Prince Fu, keeping his dignity, would settle the matter privately without aggravating Ye Xinyan to the point of going to the capital’s yan, that would be for the best.
But the copied petition vanished like a stone in the sea, without the slightest news, leaving You Chenghui greatly disappointed.
Alas! Fortunately, he had also delivered a copy to Duke An. Now it was up to the old man to control his granddaughter. At this point, You Chenghui was seriously inquiring about Miss Ye. As he ca to understand her better, he began to doubt whether Duke An still had any control over his granddaughter.
Duke An wasn’t afraid of his granddaughter causing trouble; in fact, he took pride in watching many dignitaries be put in their place by her.
But with one episode after another, and always with significant figures involved, Duke An felt he would soon reach his limit if this continued.
To think I, the old man, am thick-skinned, but even I can’t withstand your antics, granddaughter. Can’t I live my remaining days in peace?
At this mont, Duke An realized the troubles of those officials with wayward family mbers were not matters of boast but of genuine helplessness and irritation.
When Ye Xinyan entered Duke An’s study, the old master sat beside his desk, silent. It was only after Ye Xinyan paid her respects and sat by the side of the desk that Duke An handed her the petition You Chenghui had quietly delivered.
"My granddaughter, tell your grandfather, to what extent do you wish to escalate this matter? Can’t we solve this privately? With you, a young lady, personally going to the yan to submit a petition, this is... quite a commotion."
Duke An continued with a heavy heart, "Do you really want to make it so that the entire Capital Prefecture sees you and scurries away?"
Ye Xinyan, having instructed the drafting of the petition herself, of course knew its content. After glancing briefly and seeing no discrepancies, she leaned forward and, holding it with both hands, promptly returned it to the desk in front of Duke An.
"What do you imply then? As Duke An’s granddaughter, am I not allowed to seek justice when wronged? The devices that nearly cost my life are the things that could earn a small amount of silver; should I just let them be taken for nothing? Tell , can I suffer such a loss?"
Duke An stroked his beard, annoyed, "Indeed, that Jinyi is up to no good, coveting even a girl’s property, shafully unfit for his status as a prince."
Hearing this, Ye Xinyan laughed. The old man’s words were truly shocking—the expectation was to see who would finally secure the throne, yet with a sheer statent, this influential and sought-after prince was so easily dismissed by the old man.
If this were heard by Jinrong and the Crown Prince, wouldn’t it please them beyond asure?
Thankfully, the battle for the Crown Prince had not yet intensified; otherwise, Prince Fu would surely lose. With Duke An, a seasoned military general, giving up on him, his chances of success would be utterly dashed.
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